Pouring bridge for concrete work



1961 T. T. BURNHAM 2,959,720

POURING BRIDGE FOR CONCRETE WORK Filed July 9, 1957 s Shets-Sheet 1 FIGI INVENTOR. TROY T. BURNHAM Jan. 31, 1961 T. T. BURNHAM POURING BRIDGEFOR CONCRETE WORK 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1957 INVENTOR. TROY T.BURNHAM BY Jan. 31, 1961 T. T. BURNHAM Q 2,969,720

POURING BRIDGE FOR CONCRETE WORK Filed July 9, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIGINVENTOR. TROY T. BURNHAM BY POURING BRIDGE FOR CONCRETE WORK Troy T.Burnham, 18666 Beverly Road, Seattle, Wash.

Filed July 9, 1957, Ser. No. 670,690

1 Claim. (CI. 94-39 This present invention relates to the general art ofconcrete handling equipment and more particularly to a bridge likeconstruction that is mounted on wheels for movement along a bridge as itis being built. The particular property of this equipment is thatconcrete can be poured into a bulk hopper which is on a traveling bridgeelement and then smaller loads of concrete can be drawn from the hopperfor hand pouring across the width of the concrete face.

In the construction of concrete bridges and viaducts and similarconstructions, which are at a considerable height above the surroundingterrain, the actual handling of the concrete aggregates or the readymixed concrete poses a very difiicult problem. In a construction of ahighway bridge or viaduct it is impractical to start at one end of thebridge and have the heavy trucks deliver either concrete aggregates orthe ready mixed concrete because the concrete in the structure itselfdoes not have sutiicient time to set firm enough to permit the imposingof heavy wheel traflic on it. Under such conditions it is normal then tohoist the materials up from the ground and this is usually bestaccomplished by means of track laying cranes and the like. Considerabletime is lost if the crane is going to raise the concrete aggregate upand then have them mixed on the bridge surface so it has been usuallycustomary to use ready mixed concrete and to raise the same up inrelatively large buckets and then dump them directly on the work. Suchan arrangement calls for a great deal of signaling because the craneoperator cannot see where he is placing the load prior to dumping andmust rely upon the signals of one or more persons and then too he mustmake adjustments in the boom arrangement employed in order that theconcrete can be deposited where desired. This has proved to be a veryexpensive arrangement and it is to overcome this difliculty that thispresent invention has been provided.

in this present invention the crane accepts mixed concrete from a readymixed truck for instance and raises it up and dumps it in a hopper thatis readily visible to the crane operator at all times and thus nosignaling and the attendant loss of time is required. The Wholeoperation is a time saving one in both expensive power equipment and inlabor and further this present arrangement avoids the dumped pile ofconcrete that occurs when up to a yard or more is dumped on a bridgestruc: ture at once. In this present arrangement rubber tired P ice Afurther object of this present invention is to provide a pouring bridgecapable of being moved the full length of the bridge structure, as thework progresses, with a minimum of labor required in the moving of thetracks.

A further object of this invention is to provide improved means whichwill reduce, from 25 to 30 percent, the time required in the pouring ofconcrete on elevated structures.

A further object of this present invention is to provide a movableconcrete pouring unit which is provided with a hopper for acceptance ofbulk loads and then because the pouring bridge moves with the workingface a very minimum of concrete buggies need be employed because thetravel, for each buggy, is relatively short.

A further object of this present invention is to provide improved meansfor the pouring of walls and diaphragms of box girder type of bridges orgirders of T beam section as the hand buggies are favorable to thedumping small loads of concrete directly into the Wall forms or intosmall side hoppers which move directly over the wall form, therebyfunneling the concrete into place without spillage and in their properamounts to facilitate the economical handling of the concrete with powervibrators and the like.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will be apparent from thedescription and disclosure in the drawings, or may be comprehended orare inherent in the device.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a bracketed perspective view illustrating the constructionof an elevated roadway and showing the employment of the concretehandling equipment of this present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view through one of thesupporting tracks and illustrating one of the wheels employed insupporting the concrete pouring bridge.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating the general arrangement ofthe pouring bridge and illustrating how it may be adapted to variousoperational needs.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the framing of the concrete pouringbridge in order to illustrate how the same is adapted to Work on curvedstructures.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a concrete pouring bridge showing thegeneral proportions of the same as it has been developed by experiencein the field.

Figure 6 is end elevation of the pouring bridge and illustrating the twowheels supporting the unloaded end of the bridge and the plurality ofwheels employed under the hopper end of the bridge in order to sustainthe load- I ing when the hopper is filled with concrete.

buggies are employed to take relatively small loads of Figure 7 is afragmentary perspective view showing the under surface of the deckingand illustrating the decking clamp means.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings, thenumeral 10 designates generally the concrete pouring bridge assembly.This bridge is constructed of two spaced bridging girders 12 and 14which are of a length to span the working width of the concrete Work. Attheir out-board ends girders 12 and 14 are each supported by a singlegrooved wheel as 32. At their opposite ends, or inboard ends, which arethe ends of greatest loading in that it supports the concrete receivingand dispensing hopper 52, I beams, as 16 and 17 are secured respectivelyto the ends of girders 12 and 14 so that a plurality of grooved wheelsmay be employed. The minimum being two for each I beam but with thecapacity of including additional ones as the loading may require toprovide concrete receiving hopper supporting end of the girders of amplestrength.

Girders 12 and 14 are secured in spaced relationship by means probablybest illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. Here a plurality of deck planks 23are disposed transversely of the girders and secured to them by clampmeans as 22 illustrated in Figures 6 and 7. Only a limited number of thesecuring deck planks 23 need be employed and these are provided withclamping bolts as 24 so that the clamp members 22 may be engaged underthe horizontal flanges of the girders 12 and 14 and secure planks 23 inclamping relationship thereto. Experience has indicated, it beingdesirable, however, to employ two of the standard clamping planks 23 ateach point where it is desirable to employ auxiliary pouring hoppers orfunnels 30. The clamping arrangement is desirable in that it makes itpossible to quickly change the operational arrangement of the differentmembers making up the deck so that auxiliary pouring or dispensinghoppers as 30 may be employed at various points to provide the pouringmeans for special features in the work or may further be used to goaround certain curvilinear portions of the structure as it probably isbest illustrated in Figure 4. The decking which is indicated generallybe reference numeral 20, is preferably provided with a plurality oftransverse members which have an unsecured covering of material such asplywood or the like in order to facilitate the movement of the concretebuggies.

A preferred form of construction for wheels 32 and their supportingmeans is illustrated in Figure 2 in which each of the wheels is providedwith a V groove 34 which is preferably relieved at its center so that itwill fully engage the outside corner of an inverted structural steelangle as 44. The wheels 32 are suitably journaled as on bolts 36 andthese bolts are supported by depending arms 38 which in turn are securedto a bolting plate 40. Plate 40 has a plurality of bolt holes adapted toengage the bolt holes 42 which occur in the lower flange of bridginggirders l2 and 14 and this makes it a relatively simple matter toquickly change the position of the wheels to meet unusual conditions ofthe work. Angles 44 are piaced upon thin sheet steel plates as 46..Plates 46 and angles 44 are secured in their aligned positions by aplurality of nails as 48 which are driven through the light weightsheathings 46 into the supporting timbers 50.

Disposed on the principal load bearing end of the pouring bridge is thebatch receiving hopper 52 forming the concrete delivery point. Thishopper is made of suitable materials and it is raised above the uppersurface of deck sufiiciently so the concrete buggies 56 can be passedunder the pouring spout 57 where it can be charged with normally about 4cubic feet of concrete. A small amount of concrete of this order iseasily transported by an individual to the exact position where it isdesired and there poured either directly onto the slab portion or intoforms. In certain installations it is desirable to use auxiliaryfunnel-like hoppers 30 of which any number may be provided so as toinsure the funneling of the material into such things as girder formsand items of that order.

In order to facilitate pouring of concrete at the hopper end of bridge10, without making it excessively wide, there has been provided anopening 60 clear through the deck and this is further provided with siderails 62 so that the buggy will be guided into proper position andcannot normally run into opening 60.

Secured to the main hopper supporting frame 54 is a personal platform 58which is at a convenient height so that a workman may inspect thecontents of the hopper or make admixtures or clean the hopper as it mayfrom time to time require.

Hopper 52, should have a capacity somewhat in excess of the capacity ofthe hoisting bucket 70 so that it can take an additional bucket ofconcrete even though there might be another buggy load or two still leftin the hopper. Bucket 70 is most conveniently handled after the showingof Figure l in which a self propelled crane 72. is employed using a mainboom member 76 and to which is pivotally secured the upper boom member78. The operator of the crane has his bucket 70 in view at all times sothat he can first of all place it in convenient position for chargingfrom the concrete source 74 such as the transit mixer shown and then itcan be elevated to a dumping position over hopper 52 and this normallyachieved without the necessity for readjusting his boom members or theneed of any additional signaling. This is a very appreciable time saveron the part of the power equipment and also it dispenses with theservices of those who are normally employed in signaling. In the moreconventional handling of concrete under the conditions such asillustrated in Figure 1 it is common to raise the bucket with the twoboom members adjusted with respect to each other in accordance with thedistance the bucket must be swung over the work. Considerable time islost by the power equipment in making these adjustments and normally itwill require one or two extra men just to convey the intelligence to thecrane operator as to how to position the bucket, that he can no longersee, and to trip the same. This present equipment of course makes a veryappreciable saving in this regard because no signaling men are requiredand the crane operators time is reduced to a minimum because of thesubstantially vertical lift of the bucket and the fact that he canhimself position it accurately. Another marked advantage or this form ofequipment is that there is no large mass of concrete that passes overthe area of the work, where workmen are employed in the settling ortamping or in the vibration of the mix. Safety requirements, normallyrequired of this personnel, is to move back clear of the path of thebucket and this involves a very substantial loss of time by thispersonnel.

The dumping of a large bucket of concrete on a bridge for instance, asshown in Figure 1, means that this mass of concrete must be hand movedlargely in order to distribute it as required. This is an expensive timeconsuming operation. In distinction to this method of handling concretethis pouring bridge accepts the mixed concrete into the batch hopper 52and from this a few workmen draw loads of concrete in the rubber tirebuggies 56. These buggies normally carry six cubic feet which relativelyis a small amount of concrete and this can be dumped, as required, anyplace throughout the length of bridge 10. As the normal travel of anyloaded buggy rarely exceeds 30 feet it will be apparent it is believedthat about one half of the usual number of buggies will be required anda large amount of concrete can be quickly placed substantially in itsfinai resting place with very little, if any, handling of the concrete.Normally, it has been found that the electric vibrators will besufiicient to distribute the concrete when it is dumped in such smallincrements.

It is to be noted that this pouring bridge provides a convenient andtraveling base for a motor generator set which in turn can supply energyfor the operation of the electric power vibrators. This does away withthe burdensome handling of long electric lines and is a distinctadvantage in this type of equipment. To assist in the free movement ofthe manual buggies 56 particularly when they are loaded it is desirableto use sheathing as on top of the regular decking as 82. The planks 82form a practical way of carrying the load but due to the fact that thevarious planks, even though they are of the same thickness, are not allof the same strength and there is a tendency for them to edge work witheach other and this would require the operator in many instances to rollthe loaded buggy up over the edge of a raised plank. This extra laborcan be entirely overcome by the use of a sheet surfacing as plywood forinstance.

In distinction to the six cubic feet normally dumped at one time frombuggies 56 a conventional pouring bucket of the type used in this typeof work will normally carry from 20 to 30 cubic feet and this of courseleaves a very considerable pile of concrete on the slab which must beshoveled around by hand. This present equipment eliminates this laborexpense.

Throughout the accompanying drawings there has been illustrated atypical concrete job on which this type of equipment can be mostadvantageously used. Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that spacedpiers as 90 are employed and it is desired to make a concrete roadwaythat will be self supporting between the adjacent piers. Economy in theuse of materials and also in keeping the weight to a minimum normallyindicates the desirability of having long box girder beams or T shapedbeam members which in effect carry the bending moment of the roadwaysections which in efliect produces self supporting concrete slabs.Conditions often vary considerably in a roadway of this order and thedistance between adjacent abutments may vary through considerabledistance. This is particularly true in passing over uneven ground orstreams and the like. To this end it is desirable that whateverequipment is used in the placing of the concrete it must be of a formthat can be easily rearranged to suit the conditions of the moment andthis facility has been provided for in this present equipment where ineffect two separate girder elements as 12 and 14 with their separatesupporting wheels are secured together by the planking 82 and certain ofthe planks are clamped to the upper web or a flange of girders 12 and14. This is a flexible arrangement and makes it possible to place thepouring spouts as 30 at any point desired to take care of the variousstructural features required and for the same reason the light trackage44 provided for wheels 32 is arranged so that it can be shifted andbeams 12 and 14 rearranged to take care of changing operationalrequirements. The whole unit can be lightly built as unit of the generalproportions indicated in Figure 1 normally having a hopper 52 adapted toreceive one yard of concrete will weigh, exclusive of the concrete, notto exceed 3500 pounds and with this weight no special shoring in thefalse work or the forms is required as the tracks 44 will carry the loadsafely on any normally well constructed forms with virtually noadditional preparation.

Due to the ease of which the equipment can be broken down it is quitenormal for two men to assemble a unit on the job in from four to sixhours. And when the job is finished the entire unit can be easilydisassembled into small units which are easily transportable to the nextlocation. Because of its relatively light weight all complicated drivemeans for the bridge can be eliminated as the unit can actually bepushed along by two or three men or it can be very easily hand winchedby a single man. If relatively long moves are required the smallestpick-up truck can easily move the bridge along its rails.

It is believed that it will be clearly apparent from the abovedescription and the disclosure in the drawings that the inventioncomprehends a novel construction of pouring bridge for concrete work.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

A materials dispensing machine comprising a plurality of dispensinghoppers disposed at spaced intervals along a machine frameworktransverse to the direction of travel of said machine, said machineframework being particularly adapted to negotiate curved trackways, saidframework comprising a pair of spaced girders disposed transverserelative to the said direction of travel, a flanged wheel mounted on oneend of each girder to guide said one end along a first trackway, aseparate beam rigidly secured to the other end of each of said girdersand perpendicular thereto, two or more wheels each having axially spacedflanges and mounted in trailing relationship to one another on each ofsaid beams at points spaced from the longitudinal axis of said girdersto guide the other end of said girder along a second trackway extendingsubstantially in the same direction as said first trackway, elongateddeck planks disposed substantially transverse relative to thelongitudinal axis of said girders and supported by said girders, spacedclamp means secured to the underside of some of said deck planksintermediate said girders, said clamp means being slideable relative tothe girders to releasably engage an upper flange of each of saidgirders, a receiving and dispensing hopper sup ported above said deckplanks by some of said deck planks on said other end of said girders,said deck planks permitting transport of materials from said receivingand dispensing hopper to said spaced dispensing hoppers, said spaceddispensing hoppers being supported by extended portions of some of saiddeck planks, the friction between said clamp means and said flanges andbetween said girders and said deck planks retaining said girders inspaced relationship and permitting an increase in the spacing betweensaid girders so that the machine may readily conform to curvilinearportions of said trackway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS345,652 ODonnell Dec. 21, 1886 1,609,407 Fry Dec. 7, 1926 2,872,283 HarmAug. 16, 1932 1,985,220 Clark et al Dec. 18, 1934 2,251,095 Wood July29, 1941 2,818,790 Canfield et al. Jan. 7, 1958 2,851,311 Gibbs Sept. 9,1958

